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Dragonhearth
Dragonhearth, the military nation stuck between a deadly desert and a ferocious jungle. Run by the Cabal, this country builds mighty cities across the rocklands and swamps it rules, protected by powerful dragons from the north. I speak to one of the guards of Paradoch, the immense volcano that is located at the heart of the country. Dragonhearth As Described by Commander Arkhov Roaw Climbing the volcano Paradoch is a great feat, challenged by many adventurers and pilgrims each year. It is the gem of Dragonhearth and a curious source of Planar magic, so it makes sense for the Cabal to protect it vigorously. Akrhov Roaw, the leader of the Guards of Paradoch, tells me about his homeland while we scale the mountain. “How was Dragonhearth founded?” The first reminiscence of our nation began when the Dragons arrived from Hikaar, the island up north. Originally, we had set out to colonise Huran, but what we didn’t know was that there already were people living here. First thing we met were the Lizardfolk, an intelligent race not unlike ourselves, just with a bit more bestial features.' Our arrival wasn’t enjoyed at first, but it wasn’t disliked either. I guess that’s a benefit of lacking emotions; they had no prejudice towards us. So they told the Dragons where to settle, and things went well for a while. The outsiders introduced them to innovations from back home, and the Lizardfolk offered services and trade.' This came in especially handy when those Dwarves from Korogard, now Lighthaven, tried to invade our joint home at the trench of Hefthall, in the southern corner of Dragonhearth. Our military prowess combined with the Lizardfolk sheer numbers and cold ferocity made certain no one could break our borders. After a short-lived war for our land, the two scalykind factions decided to combine into one, bringing forth the Cabal.'' The Goblinoid incursion really didn’t bother us; Dragonhearth is difficult to reach as is, so all we needed to do was fortify Hefthall. I had expected they’d also try to get to Eldarport, the westernmost city of ours, but it seemed they never ventured further north along the Ledan coast to find it. It’s a tough life, with all the rules and clausules, but it’s leagues better than living outside of the Cabal’s protection. Everyone’s content, everyone’s welcome, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Due to our isolated location, the Gnomes down south were kind enough to set up some teleportation circles at a low maintenance cost, allowing us to roam and expand within other nations as a military and scientific service. “What is your culture like?” Quite rigid. As I said, we’re a military nation. Discipline is our most important asset, along with our dragons of course. Laws are enforced mightily, and we are expected to follow the cause of the nation without skipping a beat. It’s working though, because if it didn’t, we would’ve been engulfed by the Folkloss a long time ago. Newcomers, especially the Goblinoids, are having a tough time with it though, they’re used to their own chaos and order and are unaccustomed to learning a different way of life. This is probably a perfect moment to discuss who tends to live in Dragonhearth. The primary population consists of Dragonborn, Kobolds and Lizardfolk, but we don’t hold any judgment over others, so you can find practically anyone here. From Humans to Dwarves and from Gnomes to Tabaxi. We also don’t do extradition, so fugitives such as Half-Orcs and Tieflings fearing for their lives due to Lighthaven’s nonsense are also pretty common. We don’t enforce any specific religions either, but because most of us are still Draconic, the majority of churches service Elemental and Dragon Spirits. The Cabal itself has specifically remained unaffiliated with any deity out of public principle, which has shown to be both a blessing and a curse. It allows them to recruit significantly more troupes, but does mean that one single Spirit isn’t gonna inspire them, leaving them to their own devices on the battlefield. “How do other nations see you?” In all honesty, I don’t really know. I know we’ve got bases set up in the Rogue King’s lands but we rarely contact them unless something threatens to arrive through the Crossing Sea. Lighthaven and Snelblum are different stories, though. The first hates us with every inch of its decrepit forests and pish fields of grass. I bet it’s to do with the old Korogard incident, as well as the fact we harbour their fugitives. Hefthall is still contested land, and rarely are scalykind allowed within that kingdom’s borders. That queen is off her rocker, she suppresses the middle class while hoarding everything herself, it’s despicable. Snelblum on the other hand is quite kind-hearted towards us. They see the value in the strong physical presence of our armies, and many Lizardfolk have become famous and sought-after scientists in the nation’s capital. Although they’re in this sort of agreement with Lighthaven not to help or contact us, they’ve been lending great support to the Hefthall affair, even to the point that they send out wizards to protect us. Meanwhile we make sure Lighthaven never finds out, or their entire coalition would be in jeopardy. “What kind of landmarks are in Dragonhearth?” A bit of a tourist, are we? Well, there’s of course Paradoch, the place you’re standing on. Largest volcano in the continent, possibly even the world. It seeps Planar magic, straight from the Elemental Plane, so we are guessing there’s some portal to it down in the pit. It’s popular as a climbing challenge for religious pilgrimages and adventurers looking to prove themselves. The Cabal uses it mainly to cast immensely powerful spells, stuff to enhance dragons and whatnot. The foot of the volcano is also where Scorchrock lies, the capital of Dragonhearth. The second most famous place is probably Hefthall, the city and surrounding land in between the Scorn Desert and the Folkloss Jungles. It gets conquered by Lighthaven and taken back by Dragonhearth every other week or something, so it’s not the nicest place to visit. There’s also the Northern Great Gatespire, a short mountain range to the west of the country. It’s a place of great arcane power, but it is difficult to get to. The northern half is surrounded by thick forest with dangerous wildlife, while the southern half is guarded by Death’s Grasp, the beginning of the Scorn. Death’s Grasp is a large, flat desert, filled with stone statues of people. No one knows exactly where they came from, but rumours say that those who perish in the desert, are petrified in place.